Most protesters had left after the march ended about 2 p.m., but a small group of demonstrators blocked Broadway throughout the afternoon and tensions rose further after dining tents were pitched in the corner of Civic Center.

By the night’s end, 24 people were arrested by Denver Police officers, Denver Mayor Michael Hancock announced after the crowd dispersed at about 8:30 p.m.

Officers began making arrests about 6:20 p.m., and by 7 p.m., police used pepper spray as they knocked down the “Thunderdome” dining tents. Some people screamed as the tents fell, and handcuffed protesters soon lined East 14th Avenue. At least two police vans carried off those in custody.

After the tents fell, hundreds of protesters headed toward the 16th Street Mall. At first, they were cut off by police at Tremont Place, who again attempted to disperse them by using pepper spray. But the bulk of the protesters got past police and marched chanting down the mall.

They had no clear destination, passing the Federal Reserve Bank twice on Curtis Street and turning past the bars and restaurants of Lower Downtown and then circling back before gradually dispersing.

But many pledged to be back in the park on Sunday.

The mood had been far different in the early afternoon, when passers-by and shoppers joined the marchers, swelling their ranks as they looped through downtown, stopping first at the Federal Reserve Bank and later outside high-rise banks on 17th Street.

The front of the line marched behind a large American flag chanting “Whose streets? Our streets” to the beat of a drum.

Mothers with strollers joined the march, and even a couple of people with Tea Party banners. Others waved signs denouncing corporate greed.

Elsewhere, 300 to 500 people marched peacefully Saturday morning as part of Occupy Boulder.

Denver’s march ended in Lincoln Park near the veteran memorial obelisk, the same park police had cleared in the wee hours of Friday morning, making 23 arrests.

For most demonstrators, that was the end. But a splinter group began to block Broadway, while others milled in the parks on either side of the street.

After issuing a warning, officers in riot gear first cleared Lincoln Park about 5:30 p.m. and then formed long lines along Broadway and across the middle of the intersection of Broadway and 14th Avenue.

Across from them, on Broadway and in Civic Center, were a few hundred remaining protesters — more than one dozen sat with linked arms. Some screamed at the police and shouted “shame” at the officers.

Police finally moved forward and began to make arrests of those on Broadway. Some protesters just walked away, while others were taken into custody.

A group of several dozen people moved north to block Colfax Avenue, snarling traffic, which had already been chaotic because of the blockade on Broadway. As dusk fell, horns and shouts filled the air.

Eric Brown, spokesman for Gov. John Hickenlooper, issued a statement after 7 p.m. urging demonstrators to obey the law:

“We respect the First Amendment, but we can’t condone illegal activity. State troopers and Denver police are showing great restraint in the face of very difficult situations.

“The governor and senior staff have closely monitored the situation in downtown Denver all day and continue to do so. We urge all protesters to obey the law.”

Authorities will continue to remove people attempting to camp in city parks past 11 p.m., Hancock said.

“We still want to do all we can to protect individuals rights to free speech,” Hancock said. “But we are not going to allow anyone to sit in the middle of the street.”

Division Chief David Quinones, declined to disclose how many officers were brought in to handle the crowd but said “it was enough.” Officials have not yet calculated the amount of overtime officers accrued on Saturday.

Quinones confirmed that at least one officer used pepper spray, but witness reports saw officers use the individual cans several times. The use of pepper spray is up to the officer’s discretion.

Sam Ashbach was one of those who got up from the street and chose not to get arrested.

“This is not about us versus the police,” he said. “Getting arrested makes it about us. They are part of the 99 percent just as much.”

Jordan Steffen was the legal affairs reporter for The Denver Post. She left the organization in June 2016 after joining in January 2011. Her past coverage areas included breaking news, child welfare, the western suburbs and crime. She was raised in the Colorado mountains and graduated from the University of Colorado Boulder.

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